Footy Betting

Football, racing and super-fans – the perfect combination

It is no secret that football and horse racing are inextricably linked these days, given the sheer number of ex-players and managers that have switched allegiances from stadiums to racecourses. The most famous partnership in recent times would probably be Alex Ferguson who famously co-owned Rock Of Gibraltar, the first horse to win seven Group One races, but there have been many more that have followed in his footsteps.

Such is the fanaticism of English football supporters, it seems only natural that they would carry that near-militant interest in “the beautiful game” over to the “sport of kings” when these interests converge, and so football fans – especially those of Manchester United, Burnley and Liverpool – should have plenty to read about in the racing section, as well as the back pages, of the national papers.

Gambling websites such as Betway now allows sports fans to easily marry these interests by having a flutter on their team's Saturday fixture, and also build an accumulator by adding a bet on their favourite players' horses at the same time – and as an added bonus, their easy-to-use online system means that you can make a bet at Betway and check the results later if you're busy.

This means that Turf Moor regulars can have a wager on Joey Barton making the difference on the pitch, as well as backing the horse that he co-owns (Crying Lightning – named after the Arctic Monkeys track of the same name) to triumph, boosting your winnings and proving your credentials as the ultimate Clarets fan.

Similarly, supporters of Liverpool can back Jurgen Klopp's side to improve on their rather unimpressive start to the season – something that virtually every expert on the game seems to have faith in the charismatic German to do – as well as taking a look at the form of 'Some Horse' and 'Another Horse' – two hilariously-titled runners owned by Steve McManaman and Robbie Fowler, that go a long way towards proving that Scousers really are among the wittiest people in the country.

Wayne Rooney continues this trait of Merseyside mirth with his brilliantly-titled 'Switcherooney', whilst Michael Owen – the former Anfield great, Bernabeu bit-part player and Old Trafford bench-warmer – has a stake in Brown Panther, who was winner of the 2011 King George V Stakes at Ascot.

Kevin Keegan, Harry Redknapp, Mickey Quinn, Francis Lee and Alan Ball are also no strangers to the gee-gees, each of whom have bought into the prospects of nags using their earnings from a career in football, so with more ways to back your favourite teams, managers and players than ever before, why not take the plunge and have a wager on one of your heroes having a really good weekend on more than one front?